The Beach City Explorers Club
by Jinxy.Jinxy
Summary: A continuing story featuring connected drabbles of Lars and Ronaldo. Expect short funny stories where the boys explore what keeps Beach City so weird. Contains two of my previous stories: The Killer Hand and Return of The Slinker
1. The Killer Hand

"Come on Lars. I need a camera man. Peedee has to work and I need someone tall to get my angles."  
"No."  
"Please...anyway you owe me."  
"For what?"  
"Almost getting us eaten by that monster."  
"Hey! You tried feeding me to it." Lars fumed with indignation.  
"I was acting for the greater good." The young man explained calmly. He changed tactics. "That's beside the point. The point is I need your help."

This tense back and forth had been going on for some time. Luckily The Big Donut was empty. Lars and Ronaldo were free to continue bickering while Sadie did extra cleaning.  
She was polishing a table leg smiling to herself. It was nice to see them at least talking to eachother. She decided to interject.

"Go with him Lars. It seems important."  
Lars shot her a withering glance. Ronaldo beamed at him with expectation.  
"No. "  
"Lars, I'll give you the day off to help him. We're not busy anyways."  
'Fine." Lars sighed dramatically. Ronaldo bounced with excitement.  
"You won't regret this Lars. I'll give you full credit on my blog."  
"Don't put my name anywhere near your website."he warned.  
Sadie chuckled as they continued to argue out of the store. She was happy to have the peace and quiet when they left.

"Okay. Where is it?" Lars asked with boredom. They'd been trekking up the hill for a while.  
"We're close now. I think just behind this rock." Ronaldo rushed ahead. Lars fumbled with the camcorder turning it on as Ronaldo crept behind a large boulder.  
He focused the camera on an upside down bucket with a rock on top.  
"That's it?" he said with exasperation. A loud thump rattled the plastic container. Something was inside. Lars shrunk back.  
"Wait...what's in there? Ronaldo?" He asked trying to keep composure.  
"Zoom in here." Ronaldo directed moving to grasp the lid of the bucket. Pink fingers began to push out of the opening.  
"Jesus Ronnie!" Lars yelped. "What is that thing?"  
"It's a hand. I found it up here earlier." He opened the lid all the way and the pink hand came scurrying out.  
Lars dashed backwards. "Ugh."  
"Lars come back. Get the shot." Ronaldo hissed in a whisper. Lars focused on the hand that was crawling up Ronaldo's forearm.  
"Things just keep getting weirder." intoned Ronaldo switching into his presenter voice. "I found this hand wandering the cliffs of Beach City. But why?" He paused for dramatic effect, the hand was gripping his shoulder. "What does it want? I will now try to communicate with it." The hand moves into Ronaldo's curls. "Ouch." he says disentangling its fingers. He holds the hand at arms length. It grasps wildly at the air.  
"Ew." Lars says zooming in on the hand. "That thing is nasty."  
"Okay...okay" Ronaldo gets back into character. "Thumbs up for yes, thumbs down for no." The hand continues to stuggle.  
"Are you here to destroy earth?" The hand grips Ronaldo's finger and bends it until he lets go.  
"Obviously this race of sentient hands are powerful." he declares nursing his finger.  
"Ronaldo, come get this thing." Lars says nervously as it grips his shoe. He tries to shake it loose but it continues to climb up his pant leg.  
Ronaldo comes over but to take the camera from Lars' hands.  
"You're doing great Lars." he coaxes and the young man tries to separate the fingers from his leg. It holds tighter."Awh. I think he likes you."  
The camera continues to regard the new weird discovery.  
"Uh. Ronnie." Lars begins as the hand circles his throat. "Ronnie." he says again more panicked. "Ronnie. Help!" the hand clenches into Lars' hair. He waves his arms frantically trying to pull it off.

Ronaldo comes rushing over, dropping the camera. It records the grass as the audio plays in the background.

Lars looks scared. Ronaldo grabs the hand yanking it. "Ow. My hair." hisses Lars. It reacts holding tighter.  
"Oh no you don't" Ronaldo yells. "Get off of my friend!" He takes the hand and pulls back the thumb. It's grasp loosens enough for him to snatch it off. By instinct he flings it out into the grass. It quickly scurries away. Lars holds his head touching his hair making sue its still there. Ronaldo goes to pick up his camera.

"Well" he begins turning the camera to himself. "It seems we've lost our subject. The killer hand is out there somewhere now. Waiting..."  
"Really?" Lars is heard angrily in the back ground. "I could have died."  
"Keep Beach City weird!" Ronaldo shouts quickly turning off the camera as Lars starts to push him.

Lars narrows his eyes as Ronaldo pack up his gear.  
'That thing was stupid." Lars complains.  
""I didn't want it to hurt you. Sorry I dragged you up here."  
"Well at least tried to save me this time." he says in a lighter tone.  
"You bet. Lars you're my friend."  
"Woah, don't get ahead of yourself there buddy. I'd call us acquaintances."  
"It's a start" Ronaldo says chipper again.  
They walk back down the hill.  
"I won't put this up on the blog since you're on the tape and stuff."  
"Naw. It's fine" Lars says. "People should know about the killer hand."


	2. Return of The Slinker

"Ronaldo" Lars whined. He was pointing the camcorder at a hole in the side of the cliff. "There's nothing there." he said exasperated.  
Ronaldo made a motion for Lars to zip it, and the other boy sighed.  
"Focus here." he directed at the crevice. "I swear it was glowing earlier that's why I got you."  
"Ya right." Lars countered. He was holding the camera with one hand and in the other he was scrolling through his phone with boredom.  
"Keep it steady." he cautioned.  
"I will now put my hand into the monster's lair." Ronaldo intoned. Lars looked up from his phone.  
"Ya. Ya." he said but he sounded a little tense.

The camera shakes wildly as Ronaldo shrieks with his hand inside the hole.  
"Ronnie!" Lars shouts. Ronaldo yanks his hand out quickly with a creature clamped around his wrist and forearm. He shakes his hand. Dark blue tendrils wrap up his wrist the head resembles a bulb.  
"Ronaldo?" Lars tries again gauging his friend's condition.  
"It's okay Lars." he reassures him.  
"So it doesn't hurt?"  
"No." Ronaldo smiles.  
"You wouldn't hurt me would you boy?" He coxes the blue plant as it moves it's tendrils languidly "No. No you wouldn't. Would you."  
Lars makes an uncomfortable noise.  
"You don't even know what that thing is."

"Obviously I have made a friend of this creature." Ronaldo announces. He moves his hand to pet the navy bulb. It hisses and unfurls itself. The petal shiver violently and a pink stone glimmers in the middle. It's almost as tall as the large man in this state.  
"Uhh." Lars makes a move as if to come help Ronaldo.  
"No. No. Get the shot." the other man calls giving him a thumbs up. Lars stays where he is but he frowns with apprehension.  
"That must be a sensitive spot for the creature." Ronaldo explains to the camera. The bulb bounces, it's tendrils snap the air. One errant tendril knocks Ronaldo in the face. He covers his nose.  
"Ah. My glasses." he says.  
Lars moves his head and the camera follows his gaze to the glasses laying in the sand on the beach.  
The creature reacts quickly untangling itself and snatching the glasses.  
"Hey!" Ronaldo yells as it bounds down to the shore. It rushes past Lars and stops at the edge of the ocean holding the glasses in the air.  
Ronaldo huffs over and stops beside Lars.  
"Oh shoot. My Dad is going to kill me. I can't lose those again." he panics.  
"Here" Lars hands him the camera. He stalks quietly down the beach as if to ambush the sentient plant.

He stops behind it and crouches low. Frozen waiting to see what will happen, nervous about making a move to grab it. He lunges forward. He misses. The creature whips around unfurls its self in intimidation. It dives out into the surf. One stalk is wrapped around Lars' leg. He hears Ronaldo's frantic shouting as it pulls him out to sea.

The creature floats out on the tide and Lars breaks the surface gasping for air.  
"Lars!" He hears his name being called frantically. He waves to show that he's alright. And he seems to be okay but still attached to the plant. He stays still regarding the strange creature. It still has the glasses. It flings its tendrils about haphazardly and the one with the glasses floats near his face. He springs into action grabbing the tentacle. It shrieks and dives down tendrils shooting straight letting go of his leg. Lars holds tight. He yanks but it doesn't let go. He can't hold his breath much longer. But he doesn't want to loose the glasses as that would mean returning to shore in defeat. He tenses his body and bites the stalk not knowing what else he can do. The stalk tastes awful exactly like biting a leaf. Lars is able to snatch the glasses as it loosens its grip. It shoots straight in pain and flees propelling itself like a squid. . He wastes no time getting back to land afraid to look back.

He stalks up the beach dripping. Water running down his body. His baggy t-shirt clinging to his small frame. He sighs and moves his hair from his face. He looks like a drowned rat and water squishes in his shoes.  
"Here." he shoves the glasses at Ronaldo. He holds them his eyes shinning.  
"Thank you." he beams. He turns off the camera, signing off with his usual "Keep beach city weird."  
"Thank you Lars! You saved my butt."

He puts his glasses back on then fidgets looking at his friend.  
"Oh. Here." he unbuttons his garish yellow and red shirt and puts it over Lars shoulders like a towel. He takes it shivering. It's so large on the skinny man that it billows out and reaches his thigh. The larger man stands there a little self consciously. His white undershirt shows the outline of his soft belly and chest.  
Ronaldo chuckles as Lars wraps it tighter. Lars shoots him a withering glance.  
"Did you get my fight with the monster?" he asks moving his head towards the camera.  
"You bet I did. Man you looked cool." Ronaldo says.  
Lars looks prideful. "Ya." he says straightening up.  
"Oh ya." echoes Ronaldo.

They move back to the rocks to sit on the stones in the sun. Ronaldo moves his hand through his bouncy curls. Lars grumbles a little in his makeshift towel.  
"You'll still help me tomorrow though right?"  
"No."  
"Come on."  
"I don't know why I should."  
"Lars please."  
The thin man crosses his arms.  
"Come on, I need you."  
"No you don't."  
"I do too..." he trails off.  
"And also it's bee fun hanging out with you again."  
"Fine... I'll help... But no more deadly monsters."  
"I'll try."  
Lars widens his eyes in annoyance.  
They sit in silence for a little bit.  
"Not a bad first mission for the Beach City Explorers,huh?" Ronaldo breaks the silence.  
Lars narrows his eyes. "Don't call us that."  
"Fine." Ronaldo laughs. Lars looks over and smirks.


End file.
